As a sailor in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1972, I was proud to serve my country aboard a nuclear submarine whose mission was to deter a nuclear attack upon the United States.  I spent two and half years in training before serving aboard the John Marshall SSBN 611, a first generation ballistic missile nuclear submarine.  I served aboard the John Marshall for over four years, operating out of Holy Lock, Scotland and Rhoda, Spain. 

The entire experience was for me very rewarding, on many levels. I was privileged to have the opportunity to serve my country as nuclear-trained Machinist Mate.  I never missed a promotion, making E-6 in three years and rising to a high level of responsibility within the M-Division on board the Marshall.

Now, thirty-two years after an honorable discharge, I continue to have a strong affection, interest, and respect for the Nuclear Navy and what it has accomplished for our great country.  We sailors proudly served.  We worked diligently. We made sure the machinery worked to perfection. We were exposed to all sorts of noises, dusts, and long hours, but we put the needs of our country above our personal comforts. Unfortunately, many of us are now suffering from mesothelioma, a tumor that arises in the pleural cavity outside the lung. The tumor is caused by asbestos fibers, which smolder in the chest cavity like a time bomb with a very long fuse. Eventually, the bomb goes off – long after we’ve been discharged from the Navy.

When the bomb goes off, is our government standing by to help us? I regret that the answer is “no.”  There is no medical program within the Department of Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense for the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of malignant mesothelioma, even though the tumor is “service connected.” Even though about 32% of all Americans diagnosed with mesothelioma were contaminated with asbestos while serving in the U.S. Navy or working in Navy shipyards.

It is a shame that our country has not stepped up to the plate to help asbestos-exposed veterans who are fighting for their lives because of the asbestos cover-up by Navy material and equipment suppliers.  The manufacturers and suppliers knew that their asbestos products were potentially dangerous.  They made no effort to educate the Navy about the health dangers. They did not warn sailors or workers about wearing respiratory protection. They did not warn us to remove our dust-contaminated clothing before going home to our wives and children.

Three decades after my service began, the asbestos fibers in my lungs exploded into mesothelioma, a word I had never heard of and can barely pronounce.  Fortunately, I found a private hospital that could treat me. In the last nine months mesothelioma has turned my life upside down. I’ve had four rounds of chemotherapy. I had an extra pleural pneumonectomy— a big operation that resulted in the amputation of my right lung, diaphragm and part of my heart sac.  Then, during my recovery period, I’ve had six weeks (32) sessions of radiation therapy.  And I’m one of the lucky ones – lucky to have found a good doctor, lucky to have had my tumor caught early enough to make me eligible for “radical” treatments, and, ironically, lucky to live in the Seattle area which has one of the highest incidences of mesothelioma in the nation.

I have gone from an energetic person who loves golf, sailing, and skiing to an energy- starved patient who can hardly walk to the mailbox.  I continue to suffer from radiation pneumonitis, a complication from intense radiation therapy.  Sometimes I gasp for air, like a fish out of water.

The real sad part about all this is that my country has not taken action to prepare for veterans for this war-related disease. The disease may be rare for the general public, but it’s not for navy veterans or shipyard workers. Our government has known about mesothelioma for at least 50 years. We’ve known for years that the fibers “incubate” in the body before turning malignant. But we’ve never made any effort to prevent or cure the disease. We’ve never made the effort to even register the size and scope of the disease through a registry or patient database. We’ve buried our heads in the sand, hoping I suppose that the disease will just fade away over time.  But asbestos fibers don’t just fade away. Millions of Americans have asbestos fibers in their lungs. Millions of homes, schools and churches have asbestos in their walls, floors and ceilings.

2nd degree radiation burns surround the surgical scar.  June 2004

Despite the massive exposures, and the growing number of Americans diagnosed every year with asbestosis, asbestos lung cancer and mesothelioma, our government does not have a mesothelioma medical research and treatment program.  We can do this. Through the DOD, our federal government has invested millions of dollars in research programs for breast, prostate, ovarian and colon cancer.  I applaud these programs. We need to expand these congressionally mandated programs to include mesothelioma.  I note with a mixture of pride and dismay that the government does have excellent programs for navy veterans exposed to agent orange, radiation and gulf war chemicals – yet we have nothing for veterans exposed to asbestos.

I am proud of my service to my country. I knew there were risks associated with my service. I never knew the risks included dying of mesothelioma thirty years after my discharge. And I certainly didn’t expect my country to turn a blind eye on veterans who got this disease.  I must believe that my government was deceived by the asbestos companies. But for many decades now my government has known the ravages of mesothelioma among Navy veterans. For that they need to be held accountable. They have the knowledge. The money is available. They need to help us and provide hope.

We have an opportunity, at this time in our history, to get the ball to build hope and prolong the lives of veterans who so selflessly served in our Navy during World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Let us not miss this opportunity.  All cancers are horrifying to the patients and their family. But all cancers can be treated if we invest the money in basic and clinical research. As a Navy veteran with war-related mesothelioma, I am ready to do my part to help myself and others. I will proudly offer my clinical data, my biopsy tissue, and my blood samples to a centralized tissue bank and database. I want to help the advancement of science and hope. We have missed out on over 50 years of research. But it’s never too late to do the right and best thing.

Robert S. Treggett
Bothell, WA
November 15, 2004

{ to read Robert Treggett's medical profile, please click here }

** POSTED NOVEMBER 16, 2004 **